Origins: Bumblebee
by Gage39
Summary: Prequel to 'Smugglers.'  Learn where Bumblebee came from, how he went from orphan to assassin to smuggler.  Discover his mysterious ties to Yoketron, Ratchet, and the Jet Twins.  Read how he found Jazz and met Bulkhead and became the bot he is today.
1. Prologue: Ratchet & Arcee

Origins: Bumblebee

Prologue: Ratchet & Arcee

It was on Kaon during the tail end of the war when negotiations were taking place between the Autobots and Decepticons; arranging for an end to the long, brutal war. The fragile flavor or hope was slowly spreading across Cybertron and even drifting over to some of the adjoining planets. Kaon, however, was not so lucky; stale breezes bearing hatred and ill-will visited the Decepticons' home planet.

Not even caring that at that exact moment Ultra Magnus and Megatron were signing a peace treaty Ratchet looked anxiously at his patient; a young, beautiful Autobot femme named Arcee. "Come on, Arcee," the medic encouraged. "You're doing fine; just hang on a little longer."

"I don't think I can, Ratchet," she gasped.

"Yes, you can," he soothed, practiced blue optics scanning the inside of her open spark chamber. "It won't be much longer now and you'll have a sparkling."

"Will I…survive?"

Ratchet didn't look at her but chose to study the floor instead. "No," he said at last. "You won't survive."

Arcee merely nodded; the knowledge of her fate and the acceptance of it visible on her pink faceplate.

"I could save you," Ratchet told her. "But in order to do that I would have to…" he hesitated, not willing to finish the sentence.

Fortunately Arcee picked up on what he meant and she tried to sit up, her optics blazing red instead of their normal blue. "No!" she cried. "I will not allow you to kill my sparkling in order to save me."

"Calm down," Ratchet said. "I promise I will not harm your sparkling."

"I know you won't but others will." Grabbing him by the wrist she pleaded, "My sparkling will be the son of Megatron and when the Autobots learn that they will kill him. I do not want that to happen to him. Will you watch over him for me? Please, Ratchet, I'm begging you."

Ratchet looked at the pink and white femme then nodded. "I promise that I will look after him," he said.

"Good," Arcee smiled and relaxed only to scream in pain seconds later.

"Hold still, Arcee!" Ratchet shouted to the thrashing femme.

"It hurts!" she wailed.

"You're giving birth; it's supposed to hurt!" he informed her even as his servos carefully reached inside of her spark chamber and pulled out one of the smallest sparks he had ever seen. He placed it in a small frame that had been sitting there for that exact purpose. After checking to make sure that the sparkling was all right he turned to Arcee and said, "He's all right…" his voice trailed off, however, when he saw the completely gray frame lying on the berth. Slowly he walked over to it and closed Arcee's chest plates. "Farewell, Arcee," he whispered sadly. "Farewell."

* * *

><p>Two weeks later Ratchet arrived back at Cybertron, Arcee's sparkling hidden in a crate labeled 'medical supplies'.<p>

"Hello, Ratchet," Ultra Magnus greeted.

"Hello, sir, I'm surprised to see you here," Ratchet said.

"I'm here to greet all of our prisoners that Megatron has agreed to let go," the Autobot leader said by way of explanation. "I know you just got back, Ratchet, but some of them are injured and I was wondering if you would mind checking them out."

While Ratchet did mind very much he smiled and said, "Not at all, Ultra Magnus."

"Good. I'll have someone unload your supplies for you," Ultra Magnus turned and walked away. Ratchet reluctantly followed, casting nervous glances over his shoulder at the ship.

* * *

><p>Thanks to the two bots, Brawn and Huffer, the medical supplies had quickly been unloaded, all except for one crate. "What do you suppose is in here?" Brawn asked as they carried it outside.<p>

"Medical supplies. What else?" Huffer replied.

"But the other boxes were heavy. This one's really light," he argued.

"So what? As soon as we get done with this job we have the weekend free and I for one am looking forward to it. So I don't really care what is in that crate, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Brawn grumbled.

They placed the crate with the other ones and turned to go but Brawn tripped over it, falling to the ground. "Are you all right?" Huffer called worriedly.

"Yeah I'm fine. I can't say the same for the medical supplies though," Brawn looked at the crate he had tripped over and his optics widened. "Huffer," his voice sounded slightly strangled.

"What is it?" Huffer asked as he turned around. When he saw what had startled Brawn his jaw dropped and he could do nothing more than stare. "Is that what I think it is?" he said faintly.

"Yep, it sure is."

The two of them gazed at the sparkling who lay on the ground, starting at the sky with his red and blue optics. His was very tiny; his yellow and black frame able to fit in the palms of their servos.

"What are we going to do with him?" Huffer wanted to know.

"What we would do to any other Decepticon scum," Brawn replied.

"But it's just a sparkling!" Huffer protested. "I won't have anything to do with it!"

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later Huffer found himself walking down an alleyway, carrying the sparkling. When it had become apparent to him that Brawn was intent on destroying the sparkling Huffer had knocked his friend out, grabbed the sparkling and fled. Not caring that he could get arrested for treason Huffer was on his way back to his apartment. So focused on his precious bundle Huffer didn't notice the shadowy figure behind him until it was too late…<p>

A/N: 3 reviews.


	2. Yoketron

Origins: Bumblebee

Chapter 1: Yoketron

In one of the many dirty, cluttered alleyways of Cybertron there lived a youngling. Having raised himself he had chosen the name Bumblebee, due to his yellow frame with black stripes. Currently he was crouched behind a dumpster, watching and waiting. He wasn't waiting for any bot in particular; just one that looked like he had some credits on him. His optics lit up eagerly when he spotted a white bot with gold and black armor enter the alleyway. His joints tensed as he crouched low to the ground, preparing to pound. He waited until the other bot was directly in front of him and then he attacked.

Bumblebee leapt out from behind the dumpster and landed on the intruder's back. Knowing that first the intruder would try to shake him off and when that didn't work, slam him against the wall, Bumblebee grabbed hold of the other bot's neck joint and held on tightly. To his great surprise, however, the intruder grabbed Bumblebee by the legs and, after pulling the minibot off, slammed him into the ground. While Bumblebee had to admit that yes it did hurt he wasn't quite ready to give up yet. Springing to his pedes bumblebee turned his servos into two energon swords. He gestured with one of the swords and said, "Bring it on."

The other bot smiled and said, "You would be wise to surrender now, thief. There are not many bots in the world who can take on Yoketron and I can guarantee that you're not one of them."

Thinking that that name Yoketron sounded familiar Bumblebee quickly ran it through his systems, his optics widening ever so slightly when he received the results. "It seems that you are quite the opponent, Yoketron," Bumblebee remarked. "You have completely mastered the art of ninjitsu and currently own a dojo where you take in war orphans and train them."

"You know a lot about me." If Yoketron was surprised by Bumblebee's knowledge he didn't show it. "But I know nothing about you."

"I'm a half-Decepticon and I want your credits. That's all you need to know." His red optic flashed as he took a defensive stance; swords at the ready in front of him.

"You're also half-Autobot and a youngling," Yoketron observed.

"So what? Afraid to fight me because I'm a whole lot younger than you? Well I don't care. Bring it on!" Bumblebee challenged.

"I have no desire to fight you. I merely wish to get you to stop attacking bots and stealing their credits. If you stop then I will let you go. However, if you do not then I will be forced to take you in."

"I'd like to see you try," the yellow minibot sneered.

"Why do you steal? I am genuinely curious."

"I don't have a choice," Bumblebee said at last, after deciding that it probably wouldn't hurt to answer.

"But you do," Yoketron argued. "You're still young enough that you can go to one of the orphanages and they'll take care of you."

"No they won't. I'm half-Decepticon; they don't take care of my kind."

Yoketron looked at the youngling; seemingly seeing him for the first time. He looked at the battered yellow frame adorned by faded black stripes that were barely visible under the thick layers of dirt. Some of his joints seemed to be rusted if the squeaks Yoketron hear were anything to go by. Dried energon caked his entire left side from his shoulder join to his waist. His red optic was almost completely black, indicating that he had limited sight in that optic as well as his blue optic which did not look much better. A long, deep cut ran across his gray faceplate, giving him a menacing look. Despite all of the obvious signs of a hard life Yoketron still looked, trying to gain a peek at the youngling he knew was in there. He saw the fear hiding behind a thick shield of bravado and hatred. Dried splotches of yellow paint where it looked as if he had tried to spruce himself up covered his entire frame.

"Come with me," Yoketron said abruptly.

"I beg your pardon?" Bumblebee blinked, startled.

"Come with me," Yoketron repeated. "I'm going to assume that you are a war orphan?"

Bumblebee shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "Probably."

"Well since, according to you anyway, I take in war orphans I might as well take you in too."

Bumblebee eyed him warily and asked, "What's the catch?"

"There is no catch," Yoketron replied. "If you want to come with me then you may." With that Yoketron turned around and began the long walk back to the dojo. A few seconds later he heard the sound of hesitant footsteps behind him and he smiled.

A/N: 3 reviews.

A/N/N: Another chapter of Masterforce: Animated will be up tomorrow and I'm so sorry that this chapter is so short but I'm afraid that it was rather rushed.


	3. What Now?

Origins: Bumblebee

Chapter 2: What Now?

Bumblebee stood in the middle of the room, his optics shuttered as he slowly, gracefully moved through a kata that Yoketron had taught him. It had been a little over a year since Yoketron had taken him in. During that time period Bumblebee had learned everything there was to learn about ninjitsu, including the 'processor over matter' technique. Yoketron had called him a protégé; saying how much Bumblebee reminded him of Prowl, another student who had been sent away to learn to do the 'processor over matter' technique. Bumblebee had no desire to take over the dojo or become Yoketron's replacement so he listened to the stories about Prowl; nodding and asking questions sometimes but refused to linger over them. He had no hopes of finding a family with Yoketron; knowing that he would always be along. It was his lot in life; destiny had cast the dice and he accepted the cards. It might sound harsh to another bot but Bumblebee didn't mind. Well that's what he liked to tell himself anyway.

"Bumblebee," a voice intruded into his thoughts.

Startled, the minibot turned to see Yoketron standing there, his faceplate unusually grim. "What's wrong, Master Yoketron?" Bumblebee asked worriedly.

"You are doing well with your training. You have mastered everything that I have endeavored to teach you. You are a true ninja in almost every way."

"What have I not yet learned?" Bumblebee asked, having picked up on Yoketron's choice of words.

"You have not yet learned who you are," Yoketron replied. Seeing the look of confusion on Bumblebee's gray faceplate he began to expound on his statement. "Prowl had not fully learned who he was which was one of the reasons why I sent him away. I fear I must now do the same to you."

Bumblebee stared at Yoketron for a minute then, "You're kicking me out?" his voice was calm, steady. Exactly the opposite of what Yoketron had been expecting.

"In a way," he answered. "Once you have figured out who you are then you may return."

Bumblebee nodded, acceptance quickly replacing that had shown briefly in his blue optics. "I'll be going then," he said and walked out of the dojo.

Yoketron watched him go, feeling sadness creeping upon him. "Take care of yourself, Bumblebee," he whispered then began going through his moves.

Bumblebee walked down the street, not paying much attention to his surroundings. His processor was weighed down heavy with memories of abandonment and thoughts of vengeance. How could Yoketron do this to him? Bumblebee had done nothing wrong; in fact he had done everything right. He had not lied, cheated or stolen ever since he had come to live in the dojo. He had even stopped a robbery once! And how could Yoketron say that he didn't know who he was? Bumblebee knew exactly who he was! He was a half-Decepticon who had been trained in the art of ninjitsu. He was so focused on his thoughts that he walked right into another bot.

"Hey, watch it!" an infuriated voice yelled.

"Sorry," Bumblebee apologized, looking up at the much taller black and orange bot. The bot just growled and, shoving Bumblebee aside, continued on his way. Bumblebee could feel a familiar calmness settling in, the kind of calmness that usually preceded someone dying. It was with great difficult that he managed to get himself under control. He slowly relaxed his fists which had tightened so much that he almost couldn't uncurl them. He sent a flare after the bot then almost ran into another one. "Sorry," he sighed.

"No problem," the gray and blue mech said absent mindedly. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone who would be interested in killing him, would you?"

Bumblebee blinked. "I might," he said cautiously. "But only if you're serious."

"I am," the bot said eagerly. "Very serious."

"How much are you willing to pay?" Bumblebee asked, crossing his arms.

"The credits will take care of themselves," was the quick assurance. "He's rich; his money is hidden in a safe. You shouldn't have much trouble finding it. I have no idea what the combination is but…"

"I can take care of that myself," Bumblebee said. "All I need from you is his address and yours so I can contact you when the job's over."

His new employer nodded. "That's fine."

He told Bumblebee the information then left. Bumblebee stood there for a minute, stunned. He couldn't believe it. Had he really just agreed to kill somebody? What would Yoketron say if he could see him now? He shook his head furiously. He would NOT think about Yoketron right now; he had a murder to plan instead.

Later that day, after the sun had gone down and dusk set in, a dark figure slipped out of the shadows and closer to the house. Bumblebee watched carefully, optics narrowed. When he saw no one either coming or going he darted out of his hiding place and into the house, using the access codes he had 'retrieved.' He made sure that he muffled his footsteps as he tiptoed through the house. Knowing that he and his target were the only ones in the building he didn't bother looking around to see if there were any potential witnesses but continued on his way, undeterred. He soon found himself outside the door of an office. From inside he could hear the sound of datapads being moved around. The door slid open silently and he slipped behind his target; the sound of his servos transforming into swords the only warning his target had before his head fell to the floor with a loud clang.

Several hours later Bumblebee sat in an abandoned warehouse simply staring at the pile of credits in front of him. He had collected his fee and told his employer then retreated to this warehouse. Tumultuous thoughts ran through his process, forcing him to think. Earlier that day he had been desolate, abandoned but now? Now he had several options; he could use the credits to find himself a place to stay while he tried to get a job or else he could do what he had done earlier and kill bots. He sat there for hours, debating over his options. It was nearly morning when Bumblebee finally stood up, his decision made. He would go and he would become the best assassin that ever lived.

A/N: 3 reviews and don't forget to vote!


	4. A Job Offer

Origins: Bumblebee

Chapter 3: A Job Offer

Several years had passed since Bumblebee's initial decision. He was now officially the best assassin that ever lived. He was also extremely rich due to the rather exorbitant prices that he charged for his services. Since the majority of his clients preferred to keep their identities secret they didn't have a problem with paying extra to keep it that way. Currently he was sitting in a bar at one of the back tables, waiting for his newest client to arrive. He had also learned the hard way that patience was a virtue. Caution was also a good practice to keep which was why he had gotten there two hours early; giving him a chance to scope the place out to make sure that it wasn't a set-up. having satisfied himself that it wasn't he leaned back, taking a generous sip of high-grade as he did so. He could hear some of the bar's other patrons laughing and generally having a good time as they tried to unwind from a long day at work. Bumblebee watched them, feeling somewhat envious. He could still remember the days when he used to wish for a friend that would do everything with him. They would spend their days playing games until they were exhausted then go inside and watch scary holovids that would keep them up until the early hours of the morning. However, now that he was older and wiser, he knew better than to believe in dreams; they never came true but were merely the personification of false hope. The sound of footsteps approaching broke into his thoughts and he looked up just in time to see a shadowed figure slip into the seat across from him. "There are you," Bumblebee deliberately made his voice sound bored. "I didn't think you were ever going to make it."

"Sorry but I was help up," the figure said, not sounding the least bit apologetic.

"Let's just go ahead and get this over with shall we? Who do you want me to take care of?"

"Eager are we?" the figure asked, his voice slightly mocking.

"If you don't want my help…" Bumblebee let his voice trail off as he began to stand up, acting as if he was going to walk out of the bar.

"Wait!" the other bot said quickly, alarm visible in his badly concealed blue optics.

Bumblebee made no effort to hide the amused smile on his gray faceplate as he sat back down. "I'm listening."

"His name is Yoketron," the client began but was interrupted by Bumblebee.

"Yoketron? The ninjitsu master on Cybertron?" the minibot's frame was practically quivering with eagerness and some other emotion that he couldn't identify.

"Yes. Why? Do you know him?" the question was simple; the answer not quite so easy to say.

"I used to," Bumblebee said quietly. "It was a very long time ago."

"I trust it won't be a problem then?"

"No," Bumblebee said. "Not at all."

"Good. Then we have a deal." The figure stood and slipped back into the shadows. Bumblebee paid no attention but continued to sit there, conflicting emotions and thoughts warring with each other. He remained in that position until the bar closed then retreated to his ship where he stayed up until the sun rose and morning dawned then headed towards Cybertron. He had a contract to fulfill.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later Bumblebee found himself on Cybertron; once again hiding behind a dumpster. He ignored the sense of déjà vu as he cautiously peeked out from behind the dumpster and watched the seemingly unaware ninja continue on his way. Bumblebee, however, knew better than to let appearance fool him; no doubt Yoketron had already felt the optics following him. He gave no indication that he had but kept on walking, Bumblebee not far behind.<p>

* * *

><p>Yoketron walked into the dojo and placed the box of weapons on the floor. He turned to look at the shadows and said, "Are you here to kill me, Bumblebee?"<p>

"How did you know it was me?" Bumblebee didn't sound surprised but merely curious.

"I trained you," Yoketron replied. "Besides you're the best and that's all they would send me after me is the best."

"You must have made some pretty powerful enemies then," the yellow minibot observed. "You're also getting soft in your old age if you're complimenting me."

Yoketron heard the angry, mocking tone and winced. "I am truly sorry about that, Bumblebee. I never meant to hurt you. I merely wanted you to discover who you really are."

Bumblebee's servos turned into swords and he pointed them threateningly at the ninja master. "I know exactly who I am," he said through gritted denta. "I'm the bot that's going to kill you."

"Do as you wish," Yoketron said, inclining his head ever so slightly.

Bumblebee blinked. "Aren't you going to try and stop me?" he sounded confused.

"No. you will do what you must and I will not attempt to stop you."

Bumblebee frowned and said, "Fine. Prepare to meet your doom then."

Yoketron waited but nothing happened. One of the swords (which had been inches away from cutting off his head) lowered and turned back into a servo.

"I can't do it," Bumblebee said, looking at the floor. "I just can't."

Yoketron felt an odd mixture of price and affection well up inside of him. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Bumblebee ignored the gratitude and asked, "Why does someone want you dead?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Yoketron admitted. "But I think it has something to do with the protoforms."

"Great," the minibot groaned. "Just great." He fell silent then, "We need to move them to a safer location."

"Any ideas as to where?" Yoketron asked.

Bumblebee smiled mysteriously and said, "As a matter I do have a place in mind. There's a couple of planets on the other side of the Bassan Galaxy. No one would think to look for them there."

"That does sound like the perfect place," Yoketron agreed.

"I'll go get my ship then I'll be right back."

With that Bumblebee was gone, leaving Yoketron blinking in surprise. "He's faster than I remember," the ninja muttered then headed towards the room where the protoforms were kept, not seeing the figure behind him until it was too late.

A/N: As of now I have decided not to post anymore chapters. At least not until I get one review per chapter that is. Once I receive a review for this chapter then I will post another one. I think that's fair: don't you agree?

Also, 'Masterforce: Animated' is…sort of on hiatus. You see I get the ideas for each chapter from 'brave kid' who, I assume, is extremely busy which is why I haven't posted any new chapters for that story yet.

After I finish this story then I am going to take a brief sabbatical due to the large amount of stress this has been giving me recently. And I have become addicted to Teen Titans so all of you fans can start looking out for more stories for them.


	5. Too Late

Origins: Bumblebee

Chapter 4: Too Late

Something was wrong. Bumblebee didn't know what exactly was wrong but something definitely was. With a sense of growing unease in the pit of his tanks he urge the ship to go fast. When he had finally arrived at the back of the dojo he wasted no time but leapt out of the ship and broke into a run. He had just reached the door but before he could open it the door flung open, knocking Bumblebee to the ground. Dazed, the minibot sat up just in time to catch a glimpse of Lockdown, a bounty hunter and fellow assassin, running in the opposite direction. Bumblebee frowned after him then shrugged. He didn't have time to figure out what Lockdown was up to; he had much more important things to take care of. He rose and cautiously walked into the dojo, taking care to muffle his footsteps so he couldn't be heard. Up ahead he could hear two voices talking. The weaker voice, although he couldn't make out any of the words, definitely belonged to Yoketron but the other voice was not the least bit familiar to him. Activating his newly installed holographic emitter in order to make himself appear invisible, he entered the room where he had last seen Yoketron only to freeze at the sight in front of him. Yoketron lay in the middle of the room surrounded by broken pods that had contained the protoforms, the majority of which were missing. But he was not thinking about that; rather he was concentrating on the slender black and gold mech bending over Yoketron. They were talking but Bumblebee couldn't make out any of the words, the desire to kill the intruder blocking out everything else.

"Bumblebee."

Well, almost everything else. "Yoketron?" Bumblebee commed in disbelief. "What happened to you?"

"Someone wanted the protoforms," was the weak response.

"Was it him?" Bumblebee asked, meaning the other bot.

"No, it was not Prowl."

Bumblebee raised an optic ridge. "Prowl?" now that he thought about it the intruder did look an awfully lot like the holo pic Yoketron had shown him. But Prowl was not his concern at the moment; Lockdown was. It had only taken him a few seconds to connect the dots and come up with someone to pin the blame on.

"The protoforms are gone," Yoketron told him weakly.

"I am sorry," Bumblebee apologized sincerely. "I tried to help you but I failed," he bowed his head sorrowfully.

"It does not matter whether or not you failed, Bumblebee. What does matter is the fact that you tried. I've always known that you had a good spark in you; you just need to see it for yourself."

Bumblebee fell quiet, choosing to let Prowl and Yoketron say goodbye while he mentally planned exactly what he was going to do to Lockdown once he caught that murdering glitch head.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee left Cybertron less than two hours later. He no longer had anything left to keep him on Cybertron. Yoketron was dead and he now had a new contract to fulfill. One that was very, very personal. He had arranged for a very substantial amount of credits to be donated towards Yoketron's funeral and whatever was left over went to Prowl so he could keep the dojo in good condition. It wasn't because he felt sorry for Prowl or anything like that but it would be very embarrassing to let the dojo, Yoketron's legacy, fall into ruin especially if he could do something about it. Besides he didn't have time to worry about anything; he had a bounty hunter to track down.<p>

* * *

><p>It took four months, three weeks, two days, one hour and fifteen minutes before Bumblebee finally caught up with Lockdown. In all honesty he had almost caught the murderer several times before but either Lockdown was a psychic or he had an awful lot of good luck. Either way there was no way whatsoever that Lockdown was going to escape this time. Bumblebee had a nice slow, <em>painful<em> death waiting for locked and he intended to see that Lockdown got it. After today no one would dare challenge him. They didn't challenge him anyway (except for that one punk but he had been taken care of) but after today he would ensure that. Forever.

* * *

><p>Lockdown sat in the bar, his back to the wall as his red optics warily scanned the room. He didn't see anyone that looked like they might be a threat to him but he wasn't taking any chances. For the past several days he had felt…edgy, as if someone were watching him which was impossible. He was one of the best assassins that ever lived; no one could follow him without him being aware of it. Of course he wasn't going to say that out loud; the last bot that had been stupid enough to say so had been found in pieces. Literally. No one said that they were better than Bumblebee and lived to tell about it. Needless to say no one else had said anything even remotely like that since then.<p>

The sound of shouting caught his attention and he turned around just in time to see a red minibot go flying right into a wall. Lockdown winced as did all the other occupants of the bar when the bot slowly fell to the floor where he lay completely still. Deciding to get out while he still had a chance Lockdown stood up and used the chaos to slip outside, unnoticed. Ignoring the sound of screams and sirens he continued heading back towards his ship. Suddenly he heard a noise and froze. He turned around slowly but saw no one. He shrugged then resumed walking, not seeing the blue optics that were peeking around the corner watching him. He had just reached his ship when he heard a voice behind him say, "So we meet at last, Lockdown."

A/N: 3 reviews please and don't forget to vote!

Oh and uh, the mysterious figures that keep killing everybody that tries to help Bumblebee are (in order) a thief who thought that Huffer would have some credits on him and Lockdown was the one behind Yoketron.


	6. Vengeance

Origins: Bumblebee

Chapter 5: Vengeance

Lockdown turned around very slowly to see a yellow minibot with black stripes leaning against one of the other ships. "Who are you?" Lockdown demanded.

"I think you've heard of me; my name's Bumblebee," the minibot said, moving away from the ship he had been leaning against.

"Bumblebee?" Lockdown stammered nervously, his processor trying not to crash out of fear. Why was Bumblebee visiting him of all bots? There had to be a reason, Bumblebee never did anything without a reason. "What are you doing here?" he asked bravely.

"Why I came to see you of course. I heard all about how you defeated Yoketron. It takes a very good assassin to do that so it appears that you are not the second best assassin that ever lived. I just came to congratulate you."

"Thanks," Lockdown still eyed the minibot warily. He knew better than to turn his back on a fellow assassin, especially Bumblebee. It was not only dangerous to do so but extremely stupid as well.

"How about some high-grade to celebrate?" Bumblebee offered, holding up some cubes.

"Sure," Lockdown agreed. "Come on in," he punched in a specific code then stepped inside the chip. He waited until Bumblebee was inside as well then re-activated the security system. "Have a seat," Lockdown invited as they walked into the rec room.

"Thank," Bumblebee sat down at the table. "This is a very nice ship that you have here."

"Thank you," Lockdown grunted.

"Well, cheers," Bumblebee raised his cube of high-grade as did Lockdown. The two cubes touched then were downed by their respective owners.

"High-grade's good," Lockdown commented.

"It should be," Bumblebee grumbled. "I spent a small fortune on it."

"You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble," the bounty hunter said.

"Oh don't worry about it. I wanted to get some anyway and this provided me with the perfect excuse," Bumblebee said with a laugh.

They fell silent and continue drinking, eyeing each other suspiciously. After several minutes of this Lockdown had finally had enough and sat down his now empty cube. "Why did you come here?" he asked bluntly. "And don't even think about telling me that it was because you wanted to congratulate me."

"I wondered how long it would be before you asked," the yellow minibot smiled as he carefully sat down his empty cube. "I owe you a debt, Lockdown, and I came to repay you."

"What debt?" Lockdown was starting to feel nervous once again.

"A debt of vengeance," Bumblebee said as he stood up. "You see Yoketron was a good friend of mine; a very good friend. And now that I've finally caught you I'm going to kill you."

"I'd like to see you try," Lockdown snarled as he quickly stood up only to collapse back into his seat. "What did you give me?" he gasped.

"Oh nothing much," Bumblebee answered airily. "Just a simple poison that will soon begin to cause you a great deal of pain and eventually kill you."

Already Lockdown could feel the poison taking effect. "I was only doing my job," he said weakly then began to writhe and scream in agony.

"I understand that you were only doing what you had been paid to do but you must also understand my point of view. Yoketron practically raised me and is the closest thing that I have ever had to a family. So I am merely paying you back for that. However, if you tell me who hired you I might be tempted to ease your suffering."

Lockdown thought it over and after deciding that since he was going to die anyway so he might as well hurry up and get it over with he said, "Soundwave. He wanted the protoforms so he could raise another Decepticon army."

"Thank you very much, Lockdown," he headed towards the door.

"Wait. You said that you would get rid of the pain," Lockdown reminded him.

"I did ease you pain; your conscience feels much lighter now doesn't it? Besides, you should know better than to believe me." He walked out of the room and was long gone by the time Lockdown's ship blew up, destroying any traces of him.

* * *

><p>Soundwave was happy; very happy. He now had most of the protoforms and he had succeeded in getting rid of Yoketron. Now that there weren't any more obstacles in his way he could easily take over the Decepticons with no opposition. That idiot, Starscream, had declared himself leader and Soundwave couldn't wait to put that traitor coward in his proper place. He was so intent on his thoughts that at first he didn't see the blue optics looking steadily at him but, feeling slightly uneasy, he turned and caught sight of the yellow minibot standing there. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"<br>"My name is Bumblebee. That alone should tell you everything else that you want to know," was the calm reply.

"It does. Why do you want to kill me?"

Bumblebee leaned close and whispered in his sensitive audio sensors, "Because you ordered my friend killed."

A few minutes later Bumblebee exited the building, not turning to watch as it too blew up behind him.

A/N: 3 reviews and sorry that it's so late.

Also: I will be out of town tomorrow (but I should still post another chapter of 'Masterforce: Animated') and will be gone Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as well.


	7. Ultra Magnus

Origins: Bumblebee

Ultra Magnus

It took quite awhile for the buzz surrounding the death of Soundwave to die down. and since he had been found not far from Cybertron it had set off a widespread search to make sure that there weren't any other Decepticons nearby. Bumblebee watched all of the confusion and smiled to himself then stifled a yawn. He wanted nothing more than to fall into recharge for several hours. However, he had been contacted by someone who wanted to pay him a substantial amount of credits to kill someone. Judging by the amount it was probably someone very high up, like a high-ranking member of the Elite Guard. Maybe even Ultra Magnus himself! He straightened as he saw his client arrive and sit across from him. "All right, I'm tired and I want to get some recharge to let's just cut to the chase. Who do you want me to kill?"

"Ultra Magnus," the client said.

Bumblebee blinked and, for a moment, was incapable of doing or saying anything. He really hadn't been expecting that. His optics narrowed as he broke one of his self-imposed rules that he had created early on in his career. He leaned forward and said in a low, quiet voice, "Why in the world do you want me to do that, Sentinel Prime?"

"How did you know who I was?" Sentinel demanded his voice filled with fury.

Bumblebee leaned back and laughed heartily. "I haven't spent the last several years avoiding the Elite Guard by luck alone. Besides I don't work for anyone without knowing who they are. Not to mention, if anything goes wrong and I get caught then I'm going to want some insurance."

"I suppose I can understand that," Sentinel admitted.

"I don't mind killing Ultra Magnus for you," the assassin said. "But the price you mentioned will have to be upped."

"I'll pay whatever it takes; I just want him dead," the Elite Guard second in command growled.

"And with him out of the way you can take over the Elite Guard." Bumblebee stood and smiled. "There's no need to worry, Sentinel. By this time three days from now Ultra Magnus will be dead and you will be in charge."

"I knew I could count on you," Sentinel Prime stood as well then left the bar. Bumblebee watched him go then ordered some more high-grade. He had a feeling that he was going to need it.

* * *

><p>Someone was going to die, Bumblebee resolved as he slowly crawled underneath a pipe. The next time he wanted to take a break then he was going to take one no matter how many credits he was offered! After this job was over the first thing he was going to do was kill Sentinel Prime for even offering him this job and then hide for a month while he got some desperately needed rest. A giggle caught his attention and he froze. Cautiously peeking out he watched as two almost completely identical Autobots chased each other through the oil refinery, tossing insults back and forth. Bumblebee smiled after them then resumed crawling. Eventually he arrived at the heart of the refinery, the place where they kept the most oil and dangerous chemicals. He opened one of the subspace compartments on his right leg and pulled out whist looked like some random pieces of junk. He carefully arranged the junk then began putting them together. Seconds later he picked up the fully assembled bomb and hid it under the main oil tank then retreated to a safe distance where he could watch his handiwork. Normally he wouldn't cause this much damaged, preferring instead to kill the target with little to no mess. However, Sentinel had stressed the importantance of Ultra Magnus being killed somewhere public and far away from the Elite Guard headquarters so as not to throw suspicion on them. Fortunately he had found out that Ultra Magnus was going to be inspecting the oil refinery today and had decided to go ahead and make his move. From his advantageous position on the roof of a nearby building he watched as the two Autobots that he had seen earlier re-appeared as they ran past him again.<p>

"I be beating you, brother," one of them called over his shoulder.

"No I be beating you," the other bot retorted as he sped up.

Bumblebee laughed to himself at their childish antics then abruptly stopped when he realized that they were heading straight towards the bomb. Jumping to his pedes he shouted, "No!" just as there was a loud explosion. For a minute Bumblebee simply stood there, frozen as he watched the debris rain down. Eventually the sound of voices approaching drifted into his audio sensors and he turned. Amplifying his vision he was able to make out the familiar figure of Sentinel Prime and an orange bot that he didn't recognize. After sparing a longing and remorseful glance at the blazing inferno he then took off, quickly vanishing behind a screen of smoke.

* * *

><p>Ironhide had never known that he could run so fast before. Of course it wasn't everyday that oil refineries blew up while the head of the Elite Guard was visiting either. His main concern, however, was not Ultra Magnus but rather the two Autobots that had been seen heading into this area seconds before. Ignoring the muttered curses of Sentinel he ran through the thick wall of smoke, coming into a small clearing where his optics spotted two frames in front of him. Rushing forward he checked to make that they were still online then turned and yelled, "We need a medic! They're still online!"<p>

"The medics are on their way," a voice called then suddenly water rained down.

Ironhide scowled as he felt the cold water run down his frame before dripping onto the blackened ground. Then he focused his attention on the two Autobots. "It's going to be all right," he whispered to them. "Everything's going to be all right."

A/N: 3 reviews please. Don't forget to vote!


	8. A Good Spark: Finding Jazz

Origins: Bumblebee

Chapter 7: A Good Spark-Finding Jazz

Although he usually preferred the sound of silence today Bumblebee didn't care what he heard as long as it was loud and deafening. He sat in his usual seat in the back of the bar, nursing a cube of high-grade. He ignored the curious stares of the bartender, no doubt wondering why he was there again and merely continued sipping. His thoughts were, as they had been recently, heavy. For the first time in a very long time he found himself doubting his choice of work. Over the years he had gotten used to seeing the off-lined frames lying there in their slumped over, completely still positions. He never paid attention to the energon pooling on the floor or running in rivulets down their frames. He did, however, see them while he was in recharge or when he least expected it. He could still hear their muffle screams and cries along with the sound of parts of their frames falling off. He recalled their names and the names of their families. With a start he suddenly realized that he was cursed; doomed to spend the rest of his life wandering the world with the memories of those that he had killed haunting him. He shoulders slumped and he got up, exiting the bar then heading towards his ship. He needed to go to the planet Lyon and pick up some much needed supplies.

* * *

><p>Two Days Later<p>

There were many war orphans on Lyon due to the fact that it was right in the middle between Cybertron and Kaon. One of their war orphans, a young mech named Jazz, was running towards the docks as fast as he could. Glancing anxiously behind him he saw that he was still being pursued by a particularly viscous gang.

"Hey, orphan! If you're smart you'll stop running so we can get this over with!"

Jazz didn't take the time to reply but instead speeded up. He had no desire to get beat up again. Apparently having a rather strange looking gray frame in this neighborhood guaranteed you getting beaten up twice weekly. He resisted checking over his shoulder to see if his pursuers were catching up and focused his attention on the docks in front of him. If he could just reach it then he could easily find a hiding place to wait until the gang got bored and left. After desperately looking around Jazz ducked into a ship just in time to avoid getting caught. He was fixing to get off when it suddenly occurred to him that this was his chance. He could hide on this ship and leave Lyon for good. No one would miss him if he left and hopefully by the time anyone noticed that he was on the ship they would be so far away that they would just drop him off on the nearest planet. He tiptoed through the ship and quickly located one of the cargo bays. He stepped inside, hiding behind a particularly large crate. He crouched down and made himself as comfortable as possible. He was going to be here awhile.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee knew that he had a stowaway even before he reached his ship. His security systems had all been re-wired so that the information was sent to him as well as the ship's main computer. He almost activated the security system but decided not to. More than likely it was just a bot trying to escape from this planet. As long as they didn't destroy anything he didn't really care. Besides, it was another week's traveling to reach the Bassan Galaxy which was where he happened to be going and he could always use the company.<p>

He entered the ship and went straight to the main deck. It didn't take long for him to fire up the engines and head out into space. He kept the ship on a steady course for about an hour while turning down the heating systems several degrees every few minutes. After another hour of this Bumblebee turned the autopilot function on and headed for the cargo bays. After reaching the one where the stowaway was hiding he opened the door and stepped inside. Lying on the floor behind one of the many crates he found a brown mech curled up in a vain attempt to keep himself warm. Bumblebee bent down, gathering the bot in his arms then straightened. He walked to the med-bay where he carefully placed the unconscious bot on one of the empty berths then busied himself looking for a thermal blanket. Finally finding one he put it on top of his mysterious guest and checked to make sure that he was merely in emergency stasis. After determining that he was Bumblebee sat down in a chair at the foot of the berth and waited.

* * *

><p>He stayed in the med-bay for almost an hour before a soft groan informed Bumblebee that his guest was now awake. He rose and walked over to the berth. "Good, you're awake."<p>

"Who are you?" the bot asked weakly.

Highly amused Bumblebee raised an optic ridge and said, "I think I should be the one asking the questions seeing as how you are on my ship but I will answer your question first. I'm Bumblebee."

"Jazz," the brown bot said.

"Interesting name. Care to tell me what you're doing here, Jazz?"

"I wanted off of Lyon," Jazz replied.

_I knew it!_ Bumblebee thought triumphantly then chuckled as he said, "Can't say as I blame you. I'd want off that backwater planet if I live there. No offense," he added as an afterthought.

"None taken," Jazz assured him.

"So, Jazz, whatever am I going to do with you?" Bumblebee looked thoughtfully at the stowaway then brightened as he thought of something. "Since you stowed away on my ship I really should turn you over to the authorities," he smiled as Jazz suddenly looked very frightened then continued. "But I just happen to need someone like you. So if you help me then I won't turn you in and I will drop off at whichever planet you want me to. Deal?"

After considering his options, which were few, Jazz nodded and said, "Deal."

A/N: 3 reviews please!

Ok since Black Friday and Thanksgiving are coming up more than likely another chapter won't get posted until Saturday. That is not guaranteed, however, but not very likely.

Also, yes I know that Jazz isn't 'brown' but I want him to be brown for right now but I will change his color later.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!


	9. A Smuggler: Jazz Leaves

Origins: Bumblebee

Chapter 8: A Smuggler/Jazz Leaves

It was, Bumblebee decided, not so bad having another bot on board. In fact it was actually kind of nice having some company he decided. Although it was slightly unnerving, not to mention annoying, to have someone stare at you and watch your every move as though fearful of being harmed. Bumblebee took another sip of energon, pretending not to notice Jazz who was blatantly staring at him, making no attempt to cover it up. After several minutes of this Bumblebee could take no more and sat down the energon and said, "Go ahead; ask away."

Jazz jumped, banging his knee joints against the underside of the table. "Ow!" he ruefully rubbed his sore joints.

"Are you all right?" amusement shone on Bumblebee's gray faceplate. The worried tone in his voice, however, gave him away.

"I'm fine," Jazz assured the assassin. "So what did you want me to ask?"

"Well I'm sure that you have a lot of questions about me and this ship so go ahead; ask my anything." Bumblebee leaned back in his chair, making himself as comfortable as possible.

"Well," Jazz said hesitantly. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an assassin," Bumblebee replied then laughed when Jazz jumped again, banging his knee joints a second time. "If you keep that up, Jazz, then you won't have to worry about me killing you."

"Why didn't you kill me when you found me?" Jazz asked.

"Contrary to popular opinion we assassins don't kill every single bot that gets in our way. If we did that then there wouldn't be any bots, except for myself of course, left online."

Jazz didn't look at all convinced but nodded anyway, leaning back in his chair ever so slightly. Bumblebee smiled but inwardly felt saddened. He had finally found himself a possible assistant but had already scared him off.

"That's pretty cool,' Jazz said at last, his blue optics still wide. "I never knew anyone who was an assassin before."

"You're not scared of me?" Bumblebee raised an optic ridge in surprise.

Jazz shrugged. "You haven't given me a reason to yet."

"If you stick around long enough I just might give you one," Bumblebee said with a chuckle.

"Was that an invitation?" Jazz asked jokingly, seriousness underlying his tone.

Bumblebee opened his mouth to say no but closed it again. He had been joking but the more he thought about it the more appealing it sounded. It was a little lonely living all by himself he had to admit. It might actually be nice to have company for a change. Besides, he was considering a change of careers and he could use an assistant. "Yes it was," he said. "You are more than welcome to stay with me for as long as you want. I promise that I will never hurt you and as long as you stay with me you will be under my projection. But if I ever catch you stealing from me or if you betray me you will _not_ live to regret it. Do I make myself clear?" Bumblebee's voice, which had been jovial and friendly seconds before, was now cold and harsh.

"Understood," Jazz whispered, looking terrified.

"Good," Bumblebee leaned back and smiled. "Now that that's out of the way would you like to stay?"

"Yes I would," Jazz said firmly after thinking it over. Bumblebee's terms were fair, he had to admit. "As long as I don't have kill anyone," he added.

"I would say that you don't have to but the truth is, more than likely, you will have to one day. But I will do everything in my power to make sure that you don't have to."

Jazz nodded. "Ok," he said then finished his energon.

* * *

><p>Jazz stared at Bumblebee in horror then spoke, disbelief coloring his voice. "'<em>The Smuggler<em>'? Please tell me that you're joking," he begged.

"No I'm not joking." Bumblebee looked completely serious as he stood there with his arms crossed and a grin on his gray faceplate.

"Okay you being a smuggler I don't have a problem with. But you naming your ship '_The Smuggler_'? That I do have a problem with." He crossed his arms and scowled at the black and yellow minibot.

"My ship, my rules," Bumblebee reminded him. "Besides, I happen to like that name."

"It's unique; I'll give you that much," Jazz agreed. "And it'll catch the attention of every Elite Guard vessel between here and Cybertron."

"Maybe," Bumblebee admitted rather reluctantly.

"Besides, no self respecting smuggler would ever name their ship that."

"Exactly!" Bumblebee crowed. "They wouldn't! Which is why no one would suspect me! It's perfect!"

"It's crazy," Jazz said flatly. "As are you. Not to mention it's actually brilliant."

"Well then you must be crazy too," Bumblebee said cheerfully.

Jazz just groaned and fell quiet. When he finally spoke again it was to say, hesitantly, "Bumblebee, we need to talk."

"You want to leave, don't you?" the minibot sounded calm.

Jazz gaped at him and finally managed to stammer, "How…how did you know?"

Bumblebee gave him a weary smile. "We've lived together for about ten years, Jazz. I think I should know when something's up."

"It's nothing personal," Jazz hastened to assure him. "I mean, I'm grateful for everything that you've done for me and all that but…" he hesitated, unsure of how to go on."

"I understand," Bumblebee smiled. "I've taught you all that I can. You must live life for yourself. I did the same thing myself even if it wasn't exactly my choice," he said darkly, remembering how hurt he had been when Yoketron sent him away. He shook his head; now was not the time to be thinking about that. "I have something for you," he said abruptly then walked out of the room, signaling for Jazz to follow him.

Feeling slightly confused Jazz did so. They stopped outside one of the cargo bays so Bumblebee could enter the code then stepped inside. Bumblebee walked over to one of the crates then handed it to Jazz. The blue and white mech opened it only to gasp in surprise when he saw the contents. "I don't know what to say," he said at last, gazing at the pile of credits that lay there. "Except thank you."

"You're welcome," Bumblebee replied. "All that I ask is that you stop by every now and then to visit."

"Don't worry," Jazz said as he sat the crate down and hugged Bumblebee. "I definitely will."

A/N: 3 reviews please will accept 1.

Sorry that this chapter is so late but between Black Friday, my 18th birthday, and my aunt coming over I've been hard-pressed to do anything except for work on my English and Religion papers which, by the way, were impossible but fortunately they don't count for much.

A/N/N: Don't forget to vote!


	10. Epilogue: Meeting Bulkhead: A New Beginn

Origins: Bumblebee

Epilogue: Meeting Bulkhead: A New Beginning

He was never coming back to Bionic, Bumblebee decided. Taking a risk he threw a quick glance over his shoulder and saw that the police bots were still gaining on him. He cursed and sped up, putting a little more distance between him and his pursuers. Doing his best to doge the blasts that they were firing at him Bumblebee ran past a small, outdoor café then skidded to a stop. Turning around he ran back to the sole patron, a big green bot, and downed his cube of energon. "Thanks," he said cheerfully then disappeared further down the street. Bumblebee scowled when he realized that he had come to a dead end. Mentally preparing himself for a fight he headed back to the café and arrived just in time to see the big green bot sending the police bots in the wrong direction before leaving himself. Bumblebee blinked in surprise; he certainly had not been expecting that.

* * *

><p>It took Bumblebee a couple of hours but by the time that the next day had rolled around he knew everything that there was to know about Bulkhead. He had graduated from the Autobot Academy not that long ago and was their foremost expert on space bridges. Armed with that knowledge he headed for the docks where his target should be loading his ship. Standing directly behind him Bumblebee said, "Hey," then chuckled when the green bot dropped a box on his pede and began hopping on one pede while holding the other one close.<p>

"Ouch!"

"You're a little clumsy, aren't you?" Bumblebee sounded amused.

"Just a little," the big bot admitted.

Bumblebee winced as the clumsy bot tripped and crashed into a stack of boxes, all of them falling over. "I'd say a lot actually." He walked over and looked down at the bot. "Why did you lie yesterday?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know," the bot shrugged.

Bumblebee nodded in understanding. "Well thanks anyway." He extended a servo. "My name's Bumblebee by the way."

"Bulkhead," came the reply as he took hold of Bumblebee's servo and stood up.

Bumblebee looked at Bulkhead then suddenly grinned. "You know, Bulkhead, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

"Maybe," a rather wary looking Bulkhead agreed. "Just maybe."

A/N: Yes! I finally finished it!  
>I'm sorry this story was short. I was going to make it a little bit longer but between school and everything else…<p>

As of now I am officially on sabbatical. I will be returning December 14.

Don't forget to vote!  
>Until then, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!<p> 


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